What grades and achievement tests measure

Abstract

Intelligence quotient (IQ), grades, and scores on achievement tests are widely used as measures of cognition, but the correlations among them are far from perfect. This paper uses a variety of datasets to show that personality and IQ predict grades and scores on achievement tests. Personality is relatively more important in predicting grades than scores on achievement tests. IQ is relatively more important in predicting scores on achievement tests. Personality is generally more predictive than IQ on a variety of important life outcomes. Both grades and achievement tests are substantially better predictors of important life outcomes than IQ. The reason is that both capture personality traits that have independent predictive power beyond that of IQ.IQ | achievement tests | grades | personality traits I ntelligence quotient (IQ), grades, and scores on achievement tests are widely used as measures of cognition (1, 2) (SI Appendix, Appendix S1 documents the widespread use of achievement tests as measures of IQ). However, the correlations among them are far from perfect. This paper establishes the predictive power of personality for grades and scores on achievement tests. Personality is a better predictor of a variety of life outcomes than IQ. Both grades and scores on achievement tests have independent predictive power above and beyond IQ, because both measures capture aspects of personality.Achievement tests were designed to capture general knowledge acquired in school and life (3-5). They were thought to be more objective and fair than grades, which involve teacher assessments of individual students in particular classrooms. Tests of fluid intelligence were designed to capture "innate aptitudes" rather than acquired knowledge (6).The recent literature has shown that there is no clear distinction between innate and acquired traits. A large body of research shows that IQ can be altered by interventions (7,8). Additionally, all measures of ability are based on knowledge as gauged by performance on tasks (e.g., taking a test) (9). Not only is knowledge acquired but greater cognitive ability facilitates acquisition of knowledge. Personality traits also affect acquisition of knowledge. More motivated people learn more (10). In addition, more conscientious people take tests more seriously (11). Personality traits also influence grades. It was precisely because grades depend on personality that achievement tests were advocated as better measures of cognition. Achievement tests were thought to be independent of teacher assessments of noncognitive traits that were often deemed to be biased (4,5). This paper makes the following points. (i) Grades, scores on achievement tests, and IQ are strongly positively correlated but not perfectly so. This strong correlation gives purchase to the view that the three measures can be used interchangeably.(ii) Grades and scores on achievement tests are differentially influenced by IQ and personality. Grades are more heavily influenced by personality than achievement tests. (iii) All three me...

Capabilities and Skills

“…Grades are highly loaded on non-cognitive measures and, properly standardized, provide good measures of social and emotional skills. 36 Borghans et al (2016) show that high school grades predict later life achievement in a range of domains. 37 These authors compare their predictive validity with those of standard achievement tests and find them much more predictive.…”

Personality, cognitive ability, and academic performance: Differential associations across school subjects and school tracks

“…More recent evidence shows that a range of traits that are often summarized as “non‐cognitive” or “socio‐emotional” skills play an equally important role in shaping students' everyday learning behaviors and their academic performance (De Feyter, Caers, Vigna, & Berings, ; Poropat, ; Spengler, Brunner, Martin, & Lüdtke, ). Besides motivational constructs such as task values or academic self‐concepts (Eccles & Roeser, ; Marsh, ; Marsh & O'Mara, ), the Big Five personality traits have emerged as potent predictors of academic performance at school (Borghans, Golsteyn, Heckman, & Humphries, ; Poropat, ; Vedel & Poropat, ) and university (McAbee & Oswald, ; Richardson, Abraham, & Bond, ; Vedel, ).…”

“…The associations of cognitive ability and personality with academic performance vary somewhat across different measures of academic performance. Whereas cognitive ability has emerged as the best predictor of standardized achievement test scores, personality traits are typically more strongly related to school grades (Borghans et al, ; Lechner et al, ; Spinath et al, ). One reason for this is that school grades (in contrast to objective tests) contain teachers' subjective evaluations of students' learning and classroom behavior (Spengler, Lüdtke, Martin, & Brunner, ).…”

Secular rise in economically valuable personality traits

“…The predictive power of personality tests can be higher or lower than that of IQ depending on the measures used (6)(7)(8). Although most studies have reported contemporaneous correlations, there is evidence that traits measured at adolescence predict educational attainment and adult income (9)(10)(11)(12)(13).…”